Times have changed, thankfully, and boys and girls are encouraged to play with baby dolls. ‘Encouraged’ might be a strong word when it comes to boys playing with them, but in my experience, it’s not as frowned upon as it used to be, and if a little boy happens to be playing dad he’s no longer ridiculed, called names or labeled as “different”.
Here are our top baby doll changing tables:
1. Olivia’s Little World – Baby Doll Furniture | Baby Changing Station with Storage
Children love taking care of babies and no matter how old they are they’re convinced everyone is younger than them.
This kiddie’s baby changing station is perfect for your little one and their role-playing games. It is authentic looking and includes a tub, an eating chair, a sweet little mobile, changing pads, hangers, and shelves for storing everything. The station is hand painted, with non-toxic paints, and will fit in any playroom or bedroom.
2. Babydoll Wooden Changing Table by Hape
This wooden changing table by Hape is exactly like mom and dad’s baby changing table and it stimulates creative role play from the time they lay baby on the table to change its diaper to bedtime.
The lower level has space for baby clothes and is recommended for children aged three to six. Hape toys are developed with a child’s needs in mind, from an emotional and play point of view.
3. CP Toys Changing Table with Accessories
The CP Toys Baby Doll Changing Table comes complete with everything your little one will need to be just like mum or dad. The changing table has space for them to bathe, feed, check diapers, and put their babies to sleep, all in one pretty pastel-colored care center. The station has a bassinet, a bathtub, a feeding chair, shelves, a place to change diapers, and even a little mobile for the bed.
Manufacturers would do well to make something like this for adults. The playset is made according to CP Toys’ high standards and all the pieces are made of 100% BPA-free non-toxic plastic. The entire set requires some adult assembly but once that’s done it’s all systems go. Children will learn basic tasks like bathing and feeding the baby, getting the baby to sleep by rocking him or her, and maybe even singing a lullaby.
They will also learn more complex lessons including taking care of something or someone else’s needs. The unit is easy to keep clean and will give your little one hours of creative, imaginative, and practical fun.
If adults put their prejudices aside and considered the advantages of playing with dolls every single girl and boy would have one.
Playing with baby dolls gives children the chance to develop their fine motor and cognitive and self-help skills. Research also shows that children develop language through playing with dolls and if you think about a baby doll gives toddlers and young children the perfect opportunity to identify body parts like knees, arms, fingers, mouth, ears, and all the other bits.
You can do this without a doll but seeing it in front of them makes a huge difference in how they absorb the information. You could take it a step further and have children learn to recognize and verbalize basic needs and feelings like hunger, tiredness, sadness, crying, and happiness, for example.
For all children playing with babies, dolls are a chance to learn and experience socio-emotional skills. The simple act of playing with a doll helps boys and girls understand what it is to be nurturing and to care for something/someone other than themselves; they can also practice for when a baby brother or sister is about to arrive and you can let them be ‘just like you as you feed, bathe and clothe the new addition to the family.
Playing with dolls makes the world more manageable for little ones. Understandably children can feel insignificant in a world made for adults, and playing with a baby doll brings the world down to their size, which means they can control it and get a better understanding of it.
By being able to do these children can gain confidence in their abilities and they find ways to solve problems and deal with issues.
Girl or boy, playing with baby dolls teaches invaluable lessons, from carrying and holding the baby to feeding and rocking them to sleep, children learn about love and care.
If you think about it children learn from us by just watching; whether it’s washing dishes, working in the garden, talking on the phone, shaving like dad, or putting makeup on like mom, it makes sense they learn the same way playing ‘mom and dad’ with a baby doll.
Babydoll changing tables are the perfect accessories for play or learning. Children are learning some important lessons as they place their baby on the table to change its nappy; from responsibility and caring to the more practical skills like putting on baby powder, cream, and other bits as well as a nappy.
